I have made two different versions of almond milk now, and I will share both options with you. If you make it with 4 medjool dates, it costs about $1.80 a quart ($3.60 a half gallon) which is close to what I pay for it at the store. If you make it with maple syrup, it costs about $1.30-$1.50 a quart ($2.60-$3.00 a half gallon) which is cheaper than I can buy it. I buy my dates, almonds (unsalted, unroasted) and maple syrup at Costco. I actually prefer the taste with the dates, but think I will try it with 2-3 dates next time instead. I also found that straining went a lot quicker when I made it without the dates, but it still worked pretty well.

Directions:
1. Soak almonds in water for 8 or more hours. Rinse almonds and discard soaking water.
2. Put almonds, 4 cups water, vanilla and dates (if using) into blender.
3. Blend on high for 1 minute.
4. Strain through fine mesh strainer.
5. Strain again through nut bag or cheesecloth.
6. (If using maple syrup instead of dates, add it now.)
7. Store in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Notes:
*You can sweeten it according to your liking or leave it unsweetened as well. I’ve also seen recipes for adding cocoa to make chocolate almond milk–yum! They suggest 2 Tbsp. of cocoa added to a sweetened version of almond milk (like the above recipe). Enjoy!
*ALMOND PULP: I’ve read that you can dry out the leftover almond pulp and use it as almond flour. I dry mine out on a baking sheet with sides and cook at 300 degrees, stirring every 10 minutes or so. It takes about 25-40 minutes to dry it all out. I haven’t tried it as almond flour yet, but if it works–wow! Almond flour is so expensive and if you make milk and flour, you definitely will save money!

Let me know how you like your almond milk and if you use the dried almond pulp in any recipes!

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Hey, Jen, I have found that if I use a little less than 1 full cup of almonds, the milk is the same. I often add just a bit more water and a few less almonds and don’t notice any difference. I have a recipe using 2 dates, but I haven’t tried it yet.